Cisco CTO Matt MacPherson says 2026 may mark a turning level for Wi-Fi 7
Wi-Fi 7 has been on the roadmap for years, however widespread adoption has lagged behind expectations (most notably within the U.S.). Now, although, Cisco believes the timing has lastly aligned. Based on Cisco CTO Matt MacPherson, 2026 may mark a turning level for the know-how as market circumstances, deployment readiness, and buyer demand start to converge.
System readiness. Purpose primary, MacPherson informed RCR Wi-fi Information, is that gadgets are prepared. In 2025, he defined, top-of-the-line telephones from OEMs like Apple and Samsung had Wi-Fi 7 compatibility. “However now it’s going throughout the whole lot,” he mentioned. “In the event you purchase a laptop computer now, it’s extra more likely to have Wi-Fi 7 than not.”
A much-needed refresh after some “6E confusion.” Cisco is beginning to see a “refresh alignment,” the place sufficient Entry Factors (APs) are lastly obtainable, and with so many (greater than 40%!) of the corporate’s prospects nonetheless on Wi-Fi 5, an replace is lengthy overdue. “From a refresh cycle standpoint, these guys are actually able to go to the following know-how,” MacPherson mentioned, including that the launch of 6E additionally added some confusion available in the market. Prospects have been questioning what precisely this replace meant and if it made sense to improve to 6E in any respect or wait till the following full era. “However Wi-Fi 7 makes it clear,” he mentioned.
Use case enlargement. Lastly, Wi-Fi 7 is filled with options that make it probably the most dependable era but. These embody Multi-Hyperlink Operation (MLO), which permits gadgets to make use of a number of bands concurrently, dynamically selecting the very best path, and enhanced OFDMA and MU-MIMO for extra environment friendly useful resource allocation to deal with extra gadgets and knowledge. “I don’t need to throw a bunch of acronyms at you, however for those who take a look at most options popping out in 7, it truly is about having the ability to do a really deterministic and dependable connection… Now you may obtain these new units of purposes and companies that we couldn’t earlier than,” mentioned MacPherson. The result’s materials market enlargement for Wi-Fi. “In different phrases, the set of use instances it may possibly handle has grown,” he continued. “I see Wi-Fi 7 having the ability to deal with the demand progress that’s coming… And… the market is de facto aligned for an enormous increase this 12 months.”
As we proceed into 2026, Cisco sees system availability eradicating the adoption barrier, refresh demand unlocking scale, and new architectural options redefining what Wi-Fi can realistically help.
